Fog 101
by Lauren Wagner
Summary: During AWE, the crew is forced to go through a fog with the ability to destroy lovers. Will the two pairs of lovers WillElizabeth and PintelRagetti make it? Rated for gore
1. The Trials

Authors Note: The fog and it's power to destroy lovers is based on Orwell's book 1984 and the dreaded Room 101; where the torturers would finally break someone by forcing them to face their worst nightmare and be saved only be backstabbing someone else.

The fog was too thick for any of them to see through and many of the pirates called for Barbossa to stop the ship so that they could avoid any sharp rocks that could send the Pearl done to the depths of this cursed sea.

Barbossa obeyed them this time and the anchor was dropped and the Pearl was stopped just at the boundary of the fog.

"Barbossa! We need to find a way around this fog!" Will said, walking up to the man and acting as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. "It's too thick for us to properly see through it!"

"And what would ye have us do, Turner?" Barbossa asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Do ye want me to turn this ship around and go back without dear old Jackie boy? Because that's the only way we can avoid this fog ye know! There aint no going around it!"

Frowning, Will gritted his teeth and fought the urge to yell at the once dead pirate captain.

"Well…What are we going to do then?" he demanded.

"We 'ave ta go through de fog, Turner." Tia said suddenly from behind him. "Go through an' pray dat ye an' de girl really love each otha like ye say ye do."

"What do you mean by that?" Will asked, thoroughly confused now as the crew soon crowded around to see what was going on.

"De fog…et challenges de 'earts o' lovas…."

"_La Niebla de Cien Uno."_ Barbossa said with a nod.

"The Fog of One Hundred and One!" Gibbs gasped, all eyes turning to him now. "It's a fog what likes to destroy lovers! It makes each partner face their greatest fear with the option of either being destroyed by it, or let their lover be destroyed by it! From what I've heard…"

"No 'un 'as been able ta make et! They always betray their lovas an' they aint neva the same agin!" Pintel finished, earning a glare from Gibbs for telling the best part of his story.

"That's the second time you've done that!" he growled.

"Sorry."

"Nonsense!" Elizabeth huffed, tossing her hair back a bit over her shoulder. "Will and I can make it through this fog without betraying each other easily!"

"Kin ye naow?" Tia asked, arching one eyebrow a bit as she gave Elizabeth an oily black smile. "Den I suppose we kin raise de anchor an' keep goin', aye?"

"But what about...?"

"The only hazard here is to any lovers on this ship, Turner." Barbossa said. "Other than that, the ship be safe from any rocks.

"Now may I please take back control of _my _ship and raise the anchor?" he added in faint annoyance.

Will nodded and Barbossa smiled and shouted out an order for the anchor to be raised once more.

"I don't see why we should worry." Elizabeth said, wrapping her arms around his middle tightly. "I love you and I highly doubt some bloody _fog_ is going to change that!" she laughed.

Will gave her a weak smile and a nod.

"You're right." He agreed.

"I aint goin' ta betray yer, lad." Pintel promised softly, taking a firm hold of Ragetti's hand and giving it a tight squeeze. "Ye kin coun' on et!"

A weak smile came to Ragetti's lips as he nodded. He then hugged Pintel tightly, burying his face in his neck a bit as a shudder ran down his spine.

"I don' wan' ta betray yer either, Pint!" he said, doubt creeping at the back of his mind.

The Pearl was soon swallowed by the thick fog and soon the four trials would begin.


	2. Will's Trial

Once inside of the fog; Will found that it was not so thick after all. Leaning over the side, he smiled to himself when he saw that the way was clear of any hazards.

"Perfect!" he said to himself. "Barbossa! We should try to speed up!"

When there was no answer, he frowned and turned around.

"Barbos..?"

The ship was empty.

"What the devil?!"

He began to search the entire ship for the others, but it did not take him long before he finally gave up and went back onto the deck.

He froze when he saw what was waiting for him.

A young Bootstrap Bill stood there, his face wearing its usual sad expression. He was not mutated, but he was soaking wet with seaweed clinging to his clothes.

"Father?"

"What are you doing?"

"What?"

"What the hell are you doing, Will?" Bootstrap demanded.

He flinched at the tone of his voice and he shook his head in confusion.

"You can't be here…"

"And now you're doubting your own father?! God, I wish you had died instead of your mother!" he snarled as he walked towards him.

Before he knew it, Will was backing away from his own father until his back was up against the railing and he had nowhere else to go.

"You promised to come back for me! Why are you going after Jack instead?!" Bootstrap demanded.

"I…I have to…"

"You're a bloody failure! You couldn't stop Norrington from taking the heart, you couldn't save me, and you couldn't even control your so-called lover! You weren't even there when the kraken had her! It was that one-eyed moron who saved her!

"Tell me something, Will…Can you even wield a sword properly?"

Will frowned at this and he drew his sword.

"I'm better at using the sword than you ever were!"

Bootstrap smiled and drew his own blade.

"If you can hit me once, you get to keep your hands. If I hit you three times, I get your hands and tongue!"

"Why would you..?"

"Now!"

Will jumped back in surprise and dodged the sudden attack.

"Try to use those useless exercises now, boy!"

Steel clanked against steel and sparks flew as the Turner's danced on the deck of the Pearl.

Will felt like his father was toying with him. Every time he made progress and almost hit him; Bootstrap would suddenly twist and smack away his sword.

"Watch out, Will!" he taunted him. "I almost had you that time!"

Will became furious at this then, and he curled his upper lip. Lunging forward, he slashed at his face and struck off the tip of his nose.

"There!" he said triumphantly.

"What kind of son are you?!" Bootstrap shouted, forcing Will to drop his sword

"But…"

"How could you hurt your own father?!"

Slowly starting to back away from his enraged father, Will tripped and fell onto his back. Bill's strong hand came down and held him by his neck tightly.

"You won!" he snarled. "You keep your hands…and I get your tongue!"

"What?!"

Bootstrap smiled and winked at him.

"I said that you could keep your hands; I never said anything about your tongue!" he said simply. "Remember? If I had won then I would have gotten your tongue and your hands!

"Don't worry…I'm sure you can learn how to train a parrot like Cotton!"

Cold dread washed over him then, and Will whimpered.

Will had faced monsters without batting an eye, and he had fought countless pirates to try and save his lover. He even thought of a way to fight the kraken while under attack and survived it.

But the idea of being mute…of having his tongue taken out of his mouth...

"Don't!" he begged weakly.

"And why shouldn't I?" Bootstrap demanded with narrowed eyes.

"I…I need it!"

"For what? For talking for hours at a time about nothing?" Bootstrap countered, taking out a large pair of scissors.

"Don't take my tongue!" Will suddenly screamed.

"Whose should I take then?" Bootstrap countered. "I need a tongue, Will!"

"I…"

"What about Elizabeth's?"

"What?"

"I'll take her tongue instead then!"

"No!"

"Then I get yours!"

Will whimpered and tried his best to push him away, shutting his eyes tightly as he soon had a firm hold on his head to keep it still.

"I hope you like being mute, boy!"

"Take hers!"

"Whose?!"

"Take Elizabeth's tongue!"

When Will opened his eyes, he was laying on the deck of the ship, everyone looking down at him in surprise as the ship left the fog.


	3. Pintel's Trial

"I 'ates fog; normal or cursed!" Pintel muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as the Pearl began to sail through it.

He then frowned and looked up at the sky, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

It was starting to get dark all ready, even though it was only the middle of the day; the sun starting to set prematurely.

"Why is the moon comin' ou' all ready?" he wondered aloud, watching as the fog seemed to spread out to let the moonlight land on the deck of the ship.

"Master Pintel, it seems we have a problem." Barbossa said from behind.

"Wot kind o' prob..?"

Pintel froze, his eyes growing wide as he looked around at the rest of the crew.

Everyone standing in the moonlight was a skeleton.

_No, no no' agin! We fixed this weeks ago!_

"Bu'…Bu' we was cured!" he cried out helplessly. "We go' back the coins an' spilled our blood on 'em! There aint no way we kin be cursed!"

"Aye, but it seems that someone did not give enough blood! So the curse was only stopped for a few weeks and now it's back with a vengeance! Now everyone we came into contact with is also cursed…except for the one who didn't give enough blood." Barbossa said, walking up to Pintel as he adjusted his hat.

He then leaned forward, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Can ye think of anyone who might have done this?" he asked. "Can ye think of someone being so selfish as to not giving up enough blood?"

"No! I…"

But then Pintel's panic died down as he remembered and he shook his head slowly in despair.

"_Do I 'as ta cut the palm o' me 'and, Pint?" Ragetti whimpered softly. "Et'll 'urt!"_

"_Rags, every person wot took a coin 'as ta cut themselves!" Pintel reminded him. "Or the curse won' be broken!"_

_Ragetti looked down at the ground, hugging himself._

"_I don' see why I 'as ta cut me palm!" he insisted._

"_Gi' me yer 'and, Rags."_

"_Ye promise et won' 'urt?" he asked fearfully._

"_I promise."_

_Nodding, Ragetti held out his hand._

"_I trus' yer, Pint." He said weakly. "I really do!"_

_Pintel nodded and he lightly pricked the tip of Ragetti's finger with the knife._

"_Smear et good o'er the coin so et looks loik ye cut yer palm loik we all did." He whispered with a smile._

"_Fanks, Pinters. I loves ye, ye know…E'en if I can' show et."_

"_I loves ye ta, Rags. We'll 'ave this curse done in no toime!"_

"Rags…"

"Exactly!" Barbossa nodded. "Because yer matelot did not give up enough blood, we're all doomed to stay like this forever!"

"Bu'…There 'as ta be a way ta break the curse!" Pintel insisted, panic starting to make his chest tighten up.

The idea of being cursed like this forever was too much for the man to take. Ten years was quite enough of being devoid of all the good things about being alive! But forever? It would be like going to Hell.

Barbossa seemed to smile wider at this and he pointed over Pintel's shoulder.

"As a matter of fact, there is a way to cure us all for good!"

Looking over his shoulder, Pintel found Ragetti on his knees with his hands bound behind him, held still by Cotton and Gibbs.

"Pint…"

"Each one of us needs to smear the offender's blood on our faces if we want the curse to be lifted." Barbossa explained, placing a knife in Pintel's hand.

"And ye are the one who needs to slit his throat."

"Pintel!" Ragetti cried out.

"No…No, there 'as ta be another way!" Pintel said, shaking his head.

"There is no other way!" Barbossa said as Ragetti was dragged forward; crying out and struggling the whole way.

Stepping forward, Barbossa grabbed him by his hair and yanked his head back to expose his throat better.

"Now slit his throat, Master Pintel!" he shouted. "Slit his throat or be cursed forever!"

"Pinters!" Ragetti wailed.

"Remember what it was like? Not being able to eat or drink and enjoy it? Unable to feel warm flesh under yer fingers? Not being able to gaze at the stars with living eyes, only dead ones that can't truly appreciate the sight of them? Knowing that ye had become a monster and would remain as one forever?" Barbossa taunted him, playing on Pintel's fears.

"Do ye really want to be like that forever!? Slit his throat!"

"Slit his throat!"

It became a chant with the rest of the crew, drowning out Ragetti's sobs and pleading.

Pintel could do nothing but stand with the knife poised and ready.

He loved Ragetti…but how was he supposed to truly love him cursed as he was? Ragetti would live and die like a normal person while he was stuck as a cursed monster forever!

He was not willing to stay like this.

"Slit his damned throat, Master Pintel!" Barbossa roared. "Do ye want to be like this forever!?"

With a scream, Pintel swung the knife…

And he rammed it into Barbossa's open mouth.

"I aint killin' 'im! No' fer ye or any 'un else!" Pintel snarled. "I was terrified o' this curse, aye! Bu' I aint goin' ta kill Rags jus' ta 'elp meself!"

The fog suddenly grew too thick for him to see anything for a few minutes, but when it faded away; the scene had changed completely.

The Black Pearl had just left the fog behind and Pintel had just stabbed the mast of the ship with everyone staring at him in confusion.

Frowning, Pintel looked around and saw that it was still daylight out and that everyone was perfectly normal.

Except that Will was currently laying on his back and screaming for something to take Elizabeth's tongue and in the captain's quarters; he heard Elizabeth screaming for something to eat Will instead.

"Wot the 'ell jus' 'appened?" he asked aloud.

"Pinters!" Ragetti sobbed from down below and Pintel ran down to see what was wrong.


	4. Elizabeth's Trial

Elizabeth frowned as the ship sailed easily through the thin fog, looking around curiously.

Nothing had happened to her yet and it seemed like nothing would at all!

"I thought that this fog was supposed to challenge lovers?" she taunted Barbossa and Tia Dalma with a scornful laugh. "Some magical fog this turned out to be!"

"I suppose de fog no longa does wot et were made ta do." Tia said with a soft snort, turning her back on Elizabeth with a swirl of her skirts.

"I suppose so." Elizabeth laughed, tossing a lock of hair from her face.

The rest of the sailing went just as smoothly as when they first entered the fog and Elizabeth laughed as she turned to Will and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"See? There was nothing to worry about! Barbossa was probably just trying to scare us!"

"You mean it didn't work?" Will laughed, shaking his head. "It certainly had me worried!"

"Come on. Let's go into the cabin for a bit."

"Why?" Will asked in confusion.

Elizabeth looked at him with narrowed eyes and he soon got it as he nodded and smiled slightly.

"Oooooh."

"Come on, lover boy." Elizabeth laughed, taking him by the hand and leading the way.

Once inside, the two of them began to fool around; kissing softly and lightly nuzzling each other before they then started to take off each other's clothes.

While Will was trying to undo the sash around Elizabeth's waist; the ship suddenly bucked to one side and the two of them toppled off of the table and hit the floor hard with startled shouts of pain.

"What was that?!" Elizabeth cried out.

"It felt like we hit something!" Will muttered, getting to his feet and heading for the porthole to see what they could have hit.

"I thought that Barbossa said it was smooth sailing?"

"I…"

A large tentacle suddenly tore through the port hole, barely missing Will as he jumped back and pressed up against the wall with Elizabeth.

"What the hell..?!"

Screaming could be heard outside of the cabin, mixed with the familiar roar of a monster they had been forced to face before.

"No…" Elizabeth whispered softly and letting go of Will, she tried to run for the door to get out of the room.

The tentacle inside reared up and slapped her away violently, blocking the door as it curved and twisted around wildly.

"I thought that our spy said the kraken was dead!" Will shouted over the noise. "What do we do now, Elizabeth?!"

"…"

"…Elizabeth?"

As the multi-fanged mouth of the kraken appeared at the hole it had made, Elizabeth suddenly shoved Will towards those unforgiving teeth.

"Eat him instead!" she screamed, the terror of almost being killed last time still fresh in her mind. "Eat him and leave me alone!"

The kraken hadn't even given her the choice yet.


	5. Ragetti's Trial

As they slid into the thick fog, Ragetti whimpered, shutting his good eye tightly.

_God, please don' le' nuffin' bad 'appen ta any o' us! _He prayed silently, clasping his hands together tight enough to make the knuckles white and tremble. _Don' le' nuffin' 'appen ta Pinters, Poppet, Barbossa, Tia, or any o' the res' o' me mates 'ere! Will too if'n ye wan' ta!_

"Master Ragetti! I need ye to go and clean the cannons!" Barbossa suddenly shouted.

"Wot? Why now?" Ragetti asked, opening his eye and narrowing it slightly to be able to make out the once dead captain through the fog.

"Just do as yer told! Master Pintel needs to stay up here and help with the work that needs to be done."

"Bu'…"

"Go!"

Wincing at the shouted order, Ragetti nodded and then headed down once more to where the cannons were.

_Why would 'e wan' the cannons cleaned naow? Et don' make any sense!_ He thought to himself, sighing as he shook his head and merely got the tools needed to clean them.

He was in the middle of cleaning the one he and Pintel always used together when he heard someone coming down the steps. He did not turn around or think about it much however and so he merely kept working on cleaning the cannon; using a brush to clean the inside of it with loving care.

"When did ye lose dat eye o' yers?" Tia's silky voice asked and when he turned around, he gasped and took a step back, startled by how close she was to him out of nowhere.

" 'ell...'ello, marm." He stammered, fighting the urge to tremble in front of the swamp witch.

"When did ye lose de eye?" she asked him once more, tilting her head to one side in curiosity.

"Me…Me eye?" Ragetti repeated.

"Aye."

"Fifteen years ago…"

"Dat is a long time ta be wi'ou' an' eye." She noted, her voice the same tone as if she were commenting on the weather.

"I…I suppose…"

"Ar' ye afraid o' me?" she giggled, showing him ink stained teeth. "A liddle ol' voodoo woman?"

Ragetti smiled meekly, somewhat comforted by her friendly tone.

"No…"

"Ye should be."

Ragetti froze, looking at her in confusion.

"Wot..?"

She calmly drew a wickedly curved dagger from the folds of her skirt, her head still tilted to one side.

"Did ye no' see me jar o' eyes?" she asked him, taking a step forward and forcing Ragetti to take a step back.

"I…I did." He whimpered.

"I like ta collec' eyes ye know." She purred, licking the side of her dagger with a soft laugh. "An' yer eye…et is such a lovely shade o' blue…Loik the ocean on a calm summer's mornin'."

"Pi…Pinters!" Ragetti wailed, turning and running for the stairs.

Tia hissed something in another language and suddenly the ropes that were lying on the ground came to life and wrapped around him; pinning his arms tightly to his sides as they bound him to the ground fast.

"Pinters!" he wailed, writhing in his bonds uselessly.

"'e canno' 'ear ye down 'ere! Barbossa is busy keepin' 'im up dere fer me!"

"Wh-why is tha'?" Ragetti whimpered, flinching as she settled herself on his lap, keeping him pinned to the ground as she stroked his head with one hand, the other holding the dagger readily.

"Because I am no' such a bad woman." She purred, resting a hand on his cheek. "Perhaps we could make a deal…"

"A deal?"

"Aye."

"Wot kind o' deal?" he whimpered, tears building up in his one eye and blinding him.

"Well…I could take yer eye an' put et in me jar an' me collection…" she purred.

"I don' wan' ta be blind!" Ragetti wept softly. "Et were bad enough missin' an' eye! Bu' 'ow kin I be a pirate when I'm blind? I would be useless!"

"An' dat is why I 'ave anudder idear." She purred, kissing his lips lightly.

"Aye?"

"Gi' me permission ta take yer friend's eyes instead. 'e 'as such nice yellow ones!"

Ragetti's lips trembled as he thought about this. He could be blinded forever, or he could be the reason why his friend was blinded forever…

What a choice to make!

"Well?"

"Will…Will 'e know et were me faul' 'e los' 'is eyes?" he asked softly.

"No." she assured him.

"An' ye won' take me only eye?"

"I will e'en gi' ye back yer ol' one ta 'elp ye care fer 'im!" she promised.

Ragetti was silent, looking away as he thought about this.

"No."

"Wot?" she snapped angrily.

He turned his head to look back at her, a look of determination in his one glittering eye.

"Take me eye instead! Ye can' 'ave Pinter's eyes! I loves 'im ta much ta le' 'im suffer fer me!"

With a snarl, Tia suddenly stabbed downwards at his eye.

…

As the ship passed through the fog; Ragetti's wail for Pintel rang out.


	6. End of Trials

"It seems ye were right about those two, Tia." Barbossa noted with an arched eyebrow as the ship slid out of the fog and all of the trials were done and over with finally.

"I tol' ye, Barbossa." Tia said. "De liddle boy an' 'is woman ar' too differen' in personality ta be a true couple. She seems ta like a lo' o' differen' men an' 'e is too busy talkin' dey ears off!"

"Just like his father." Barbossa clarified, watching as Pintel raced down below to check on Ragetti.

"Precisely." Tia nodded as Elizabeth came out of the cabin.

The young woman was pale looking, hugging herself tightly as she walked over to the side to try and gather her thoughts and try to figure out everything that had happened to her while in the fog.

_Would I have really sacrificed Will like that?_

Then she thought about what she had done to Jack and she realized that the answer was a definite yes.

…

Will in the meanwhile sat up from lying on the ground and when he found that everything was perfectly normal, he blushed and went down into the bunks, preferring to be alone with his own miserable thoughts.

_Do I really value my tongue over my own fiancé?_

The answer of course was also yes.

…

Pintel found Ragetti sitting at the foot of the stairs, sobbing into his hands with his knees curled up against his chest.

"Rags?" he asked softly and the young man instantly got up and stumbled over to him, hugging him tightly as he buried his face into his chest, starting to cry anew now that his lover was with him.

"Pinters!"

"Rags, wot 'appened?" Pintel asked gently, hugging him tightly and rubbing his back in comfort.

"Tia…Tia wanted ta take yer eyes!" Ragetti wept. "She…She said tha' if'n I ga' 'er permission tha' she would take yer eyes an' then le' me 'ave me own back ta take care o' yer!"

"Aye?" Pintel asked gently, brushing his tears away with his neckerchief. "An' wot did ye tell 'er? Aye?"

"O' course no'!" Ragetti said with a slight frown standing up straight. "I tol' 'er tha' I loved yer ta much ta le' ye suffer fer me an' then she stabbed down an' then I opened me eye an' foun' tha' nuffin' 'appened!

"Was tha' from the fog?" he asked worriedly.

"I don' know." Pintel admitted. "Bu' I saw tha' all the people on this ship were cursed agin loik afore an' Barbossa said tha' the only cure was ta clit yer throat."

"Why?"

"Because I only pricked the tip o' yer finger rememba?" Pintel reminded him gently. "'e 'ad yer ready an' all!"

"Did ye do et?" Ragetti asked.

"Wot do ye fink?"

"Aye?"

"AYE?! Wot the 'ell would make ye fink I would kill yer jus' ta 'elp meself?!" Pintel demanded.

"Because I would tell yer ta, Pintel." Ragetti explained softly. "I wouldn' wan' ye ta stay cursed jus' cause o' me!"

"Aye? Well I would gi' me eyes if'n ye go' back yer righ' 'un, Ragetti." Pintel swore.

"Truly?" Ragetti asked.

"Really an'…aw shite…"

Ragetti hugged Pintel tightly, giggling excitedly as he did so.

"Rags…Rags, pirates don' 'ug!" Pintel protested, but he did not need to for long as Ragetti let go and ran up onto the deck of the ship.

"Oy! Guess wot me mate jus' tol' me?!" he shouted out for everyone to hear. "Pinters said tha' 'e would…"

Pintel groaned and rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile anyway as he went up afterwards, promptly declaring what Ragetti had offered to him as well.


End file.
